Troy hospital to be razed after decades of decay
City rejected developer who wanted to buy site to build apartments
Troy The derelict Leonard Hospital is being demolished — decades after it was closed and years after Troy rejected a much cheaper option to rid itself of the long-vacant building.
Mayor Patrick Madden’s office said leveling of the building began on Thursday, sharing a video of heavy machinery being used to remove the facade of the structure.
Last year, the city agreed to pay $1.6 million to contractors to tear down the hospital, which opened in 1972 and closed in the 1990s.
The structure sat unused for years and the city passed up an opportunity to sell it to a developer for $1.
In 2017, Madden’s administration proposed selling the hospital site to The Community Builders for a dollar. The developer wanted to build 120 affordable housing apartments at a cost of $20 million to $23 million.
The deal fell apart when City Council approval collapsed amid mounting pressure from residents who opposed the development. The council vote was 4-4 with 1 abstention, leaving the approval short by one vote.
Last year, All Phase Services, Inc. was given a $1.34 million contract for asbestos abatement in the 140,000-square-foot building. Ditono & Sons was awarded a $245,000 contract to raze the former hospital. It was not immediately clear if the city incurred other costs for the demolition over the past year.
The city assumed ownership of the 6.43-acre property at 74 New Turnpike Road in 2012 when it was taken for unpaid property taxes.
The building has been a liability for the city.
Last October, the city agreed to pay $1.3 million to a woman who was seriously injured after trespassing at the derelict building to watch fireworks in 2016 and then falling 20 feet off a ledge.